Sunday, November 09, 2008

A word about smoking

I found myself having a conversation with some people who smoke, which made me feel the need to say this:

Dear smokers: I am a non-smoker, but I will defend to the death your right to smoke. While I believe that reasonable restrictions on smoking (like on airplanes and in restaurants) are a necessary evil, I think that some recent efforts to ban smoking outdoors and in private homes go too far.

But there's something you smokers really need to understand: smoking stinks. When you light up a cigarette, or even worse a cigar, it smells to me about as unpleasant as if I'd dropped trou and took an explosive and sloppy crap on the seat next to you, and that is no exaggeration. The smell of cigarette smoke turns my stomach. It is vile. It is ranks right up there with diesel exhaust, rotting fish, and severe halitosis on my list of things that I would just as soon no inhale the scent of. Please keep that in mind the next time you want to light up.